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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23843860">Ice Ice Baby</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IneffableFangirl_writes/pseuds/IneffableFangirl_writes'>IneffableFangirl_writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Ice, Missing Scene, NOT CRACK I SWEAR, Nudity for science</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:55:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,199</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23843860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IneffableFangirl_writes/pseuds/IneffableFangirl_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A fic taking place in the gap between Mulder and Scully’s inspection of each others’ spinal columns in ‘Ice’ and exiting the safe room. Not crack!</p><p>From the backlog of fanfic on my computer, brought to you by quarantine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ice Ice Baby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to trust you,” Mulder whispered, glancing up at the door. Outside, two scientists waited and he knew one was a killer. He could feel it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Scully whispered back, trying to process all the thoughts, the possibilities running through her head about possible outcomes, about what was happening, about everything. She paused before continuing the thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But now they’re not here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their faces were close, and even though the heater was malfunctioning and they had removed their coats hours before, it still felt too warm. Their faces were close, studying each other for any sign that they were no longer themselves. Mulder seemed to come to a decision and he turned slowly, showing her his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scully’s eyes raked over his back over his shirt, knowing that exposing his skin could either mean he was a man infected or that one of the other scientists was a killer with a parasite feasting on their hormones. She had either doubted her friend and partner or rightfully contained him. She was wrong or right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, she pulled down the collar of his shirt, exposing the top of his spinal column.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ran her hand over his skin, pressing and feeling for lumps, for any sign of the worm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Left, right, up the spine, along the muscles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing with relief, she go of his shirt collar, she rested her forehead momentarily on his back before lifting her head. He turned around and she smiled, overwhelmed with how much fear and tension had flooded her system at the thought that she might have to hold Mulder down and force another parasite into him. Glancing back at the door, she turned to exit, her mind already tackling the problem of identifying the real host of the worm on the loose. She was already taking a step towards the door when Mulder’s hand gripped her shoulder, preventing it. Confused, she looked back and his hand gently nudged her cheek so that she was facing the door again. Right. He was checking her as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand was warm on the back of her neck and the collar tugged down. His palm and fingers pressed gently, searching for any sign that she might be infected. There was a soft sigh as he let her collar go. She was clean too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time it was Scully that stopped her partner from leaving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There have been a lot of opportunities for cross-contamination,” she whispered. “Even if one of them has the worm, we could be carrying the larvae in our blood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her partner’s face fell, worry lines creasing into his forehead and around his eyes as quickly as they had disappeared a moment before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to check for early symptoms,” she said softly. “We should have enough larvae from the samples to treat ourselves if we’re infected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what,” Mulder replied, his voice low and urgent. “We’re going to just strip here when they could barge in any minute and try to stick a worm in my ear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t risk it,” Scully countered. “The population could be wiped out in a manner of weeks if this gets out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just…” Mulder swallowed and repeated the same joke he had made for the other male scientists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Remember it’s cold outside, Scully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” She hissed, alarmed. “Are you insane, of course it’s cold outside!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mulder made a vague sort of wave towards his general crotch area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scully punched him in the arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is not the time, Mulder!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aggression is an early sign, Scully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If being a pain in the ass was, you’d be dead by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wound me,” Mulder whispered as he pulled his shirt over his head. Scully followed suit, pulling off two layers of shirt before unclasping her bra. At some point between her undoing the hook and eye and her breasts’ exposure to the air, something changed. There was a tension that hadn’t been present before and it made her nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said,” Mulder muttered. “Cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with a smooth, practiced movement, he pulled his pants and boxers down and stepped out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Socks too,” Scully replied softly, slowly peeling off her pants and then underwear. Her socks required special focus not because they were difficult to manage but because she could feel Mulder’s gaze on her and she didn’t want to look back and admit that she wanted the exact same thing that he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she raised her gaze again, she pretended that this was like an autopsy--clinical and unemotional. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Raise your arms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mulder did so and she checked the lymph nodes under his arms, then looked along his arms, down both sides and...it was growing increasingly difficult to be clinical.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spread your legs.” She was most definitely not looking at his face for this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Buy me dinner first, Scully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Running her hands up his thigh, she gently probed for swollen lymph nodes. She found none, though Mulder’s anatomy clearly took interest in her search. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re clean,” she said hoarsely, pointedly avoiding his gaze. “Now do me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were we anywhere but here,” Mulder chuckled and she avoided elbowing him in the face.  Barely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands were gentle on her skin, with callouses in odd places. As his hands passed over her skin, feeling and probing for any early signs, she could feel her breath becoming more shallow.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is not sexual, this is clinical, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she reminded her body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t seem to agree. Or if it did, it certainly didn’t care. A man hadn’t touched this much of her in a good long time and it was Mulder who though a bit of an asshole, was intelligent and watched her back. Who occasionally stole glances at her across the room. Who was passionate and devoted to his work and whose hands were currently being devoted to running up her inner thigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lymph nodes, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she reminded herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s looking for swollen lymph nodes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s not all he’s looking for</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a much larger part of her brain chipped in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then his hands were gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re clean.” His voice was a full octave lower and when she turned to face him, she could see the arousal written all over his face, not to mention between his legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So it’s one of them,” she whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood there naked for a long moment before the realization hit that there was work to be done, a parasite to kill, the human population to save. So they got dressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They opened the door and Scully stepped out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just examined him. He’s uninfected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then all hell broke loose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Optional Afterword</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the plane had landed and the news had come about the research station burning, they climbed into the car, sitting a moment before starting it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Scully,” Mulder began, and from his tone she knew what he was going to ask. She let him do it anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When we get back from all this….can I buy you a drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She offered him a rare playful smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With the amount of me you’ve seen in the past couple of days, I hope you can get me a bit more than that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he smiled too.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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